Time for yet another voyage across the sea of mediocrity to the Islands of Possibility, where we find unknown and struggling bands who are just dying for their music to be heard. We crate it all up, ship it back home and display it here for you, at the harbour market, so that you can hear the kind of undiscovered talent that's out there. The journey is not easy, and indeed, on the last one we lost three good men (well, two good men and a parrot … well, one good man … okay, just a parrot. And alright, he didn't so much fall overboard as fly away when we got to the island. But that's all beside the point...) but we keep going back, for the rewards are surely worth the risks.
So, now that you know what we go through to bring you this music, the least you can do is listen to it. So switch off your ipod for a moment and click on the links below. You may be very glad that you did. Should you wish to sail these largely uncharted waters yourselves, point your sextant towards
SoundClick - Free MP3 music download and much, much more., but be warned: it's dangerous out there. The seas are rough, no place for landlubbers!
A Greater Claim
Okay, first warning: these guys are Christian rock, so be prepared for a little preaching and attempts at conversion in their lyrics. Oh, wait, no, don't: they appear to be entirely instrumental, and
very heavily guitar-based. But they're worth listening to. They've only been together since 2007, but show a maturity far beyond that in their music. Apparently, according to their page, they used to be known as The Scarlet Resurrection, but on their search for a new band name, they opened up a bible and the words “a greater claim” were the first they saw. Hey, I guess you can't argue with the Good Book... Give them credit, they're the first band I've looked at in this series who have made a conscious effort to actually provide some information about themselves. Always helps.
SoundClick artist: A Greater Claim - page with MP3 music downloads
Genre Christian Rock
Nationality Um... American, would you believe?
Gold For the few that were many, parts 1 – 3, Cross
Silver A grain of sand, For what it's worth, Upon the horizon, Everlast, Motionless
Copper Soon to be
A Headfull of monsters
Their spelling, not mine. Brian Duell (keys) and Mark Griffiths (guitar) claim to be a progressive rock band, styling themselves on the music of Gabriel, Floyd and Zeppelin, among others. At the moment they're just instrumental, but are looking at the possibility of adding vocals. What they've put together here is really impressive, and I'd be very interested to hear how singing would affect this dynamic, and the music.
SoundClick artist: A Headfull of Monsters (Official) - A Headfull of Monsters are Brian Duell on keyboards and Mark Griffiths on guitar. Although we have
Genre Progressive rock
Nationality UK
Gold Origins, Dying moments, Reflections, Winter ice, Misted moon, Carnival of the grotesque, Mask, Death of ginger gene, Ear fatigue, Cryptic
(That's right: EVERY track from this duo is Gold!)
A Kiss to remember
In contrast to the last two artistes, this one gives absolutely no information about him, her or themselves, so I can tell you nothing except expect more instrumental rock.
SoundClick artist: A Kiss to Remember - page with MP3 music downloads
Genre Instrumental/ambient
Nationality American
Gold Hard to believe, Now that you're here, Change the world, Breathe
Silver Behind the screams, When you're alone, An effigy of me
Copper The anxiety of temptation
And that's it for another edition of Trollheart's Treasure Chest. Incidentally, the fact that all three artistes featured today turned out to be totally instrumental was not planned, and was pure coincidence. However I think it demonstrates that there are bands out there with the talent and the musical ability to create excellent music without having to add words. Most people can sing, one way or another --- okay, not everyone can sing
well (you don't ever want to have to hear
me sing!), but only a certain percentage of people can pick up a guitar, sit at a piano or keyboard, or thump out a drumbeat and make it MUSIC. That's the difference: musicians make music, the lifeblood of any song, and these three artistes, despite not singing, prove their capability and expertise by way of their respective musical instruments.
To quote a phrase, they let the music do the talking.
Until next time....